Broken Ice
by Cat488
Summary: EDITING PROCESS Five years ago, the captain of the 10th division was captured by Aizen. Almost everyone believes he is dead. But now, he is coming back. But will he ever be the same again?
1. Moving on

**Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!**

**This is my 1****st**** bleach fic, so REVIEWWWWWWWWWW, okay? Toushiro thinks you should review too, right shiro chan?**

**Hitsu: DON'T call me that!!!!! It's Captain Hitsugaya!**

**Me: fine fine, whatever shiro, just tell them to review!**

**Hitsu: *fume**

**Me : humph. 2 can play at that ggame. *fume**

**Hitsu: sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

**Me: sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh**

**Hitsu: would you stop that already?!**

**Me: tell them to review!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Hitsu: humph. Fine. **

**Me: *waiting**

**Hitsu: Review. There.**

**Me: arghhhhhhh. Fine. Whatever. Enjoy you guys! Shiro saids enjoy too!**

**Hitsu: STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!!!!!!!!!**

It had been 5 years

5 years since the reappearance of Aizen.

5 years since the capture of the Soul Society's prodigy.

5 years since the 10th division had seen their captain.

Rangiku sighed. 5 years had gone by so quickly. Life wasn't all that bad. Renji and the others visited her often. She'd kept her position as the vice captain of tenth division, and Captain Ukitake helped with their division as much as he could, so the Captain Commander had agreed to leave the captain spot empty, for now, anyway. But it had been 5 years already, and it wasn't like she was naïve.

Most believed Hitsugaya Toushiro was dead. They had all felt his spiritual pressure decrease day after day since his capture. It was unbearable to think of what Aizen and those pathetic Espadas were doing to him. It was unbearable to think that her childhood friend took part in this, knowing how much it hurt her. Each day, for three years, they felt the prodigy's reitsu drop. They felt his pain, but they knew he was alive, and that was enough. There had been attempts to rescue him, but no one could enter the Huenco Mondo. How could they? It was Aizen, after all. Now, it was too late. Either the captain was dead, or his reitsu was too low to trace. Some, like herself, Hinamori, and a few others believed he was still out there. Others didn't, but never said anything. They knew it hurt. But 5 years had past, and even Rangiku Matsumoto, the vice captain of the 10th division, knew it was time to move on.


	2. Snow?

**Hi everybody! Keep reviewing!!!**

"Hey Hinamori Chan!" Izuru waved as he sat down beside his friend.

"Oh! Hi Izuru!" Hinamori put on a plastered smile.

Izuru shook his head. It was already five years. But his friend had never forgotten her childhood friend. He really didn't expect anyone too, but he was tired of seeing his friend this way. The petite girl beside him was not the Hinamori he used to know. She used to be so bright and always smiling, always encouraging everyone else and so very optimistic. But she now kept to herself most of the time, never showing her true emotions.

Izuru knew she was torn between Aizen and Captain Hitsugaya, and felt she was the reason the captain had been taken in the first place. Of course, that wasn't true at all. But no matter how anyone tried to help her, she would pretend everything was fine.

Izuru sighed. "How have you been lately?"

Hinamori stared out to the distance, trying to think of a better answer than the truth, or "fine".

"Hinamori?"

She looked up. "Oh, sorry Izuru. Have you noticed the change in weather lately?"

"Actually, yes. It's been getting colder, hasn't it?"

Hinamori closed her eyes. She could almost feel the presence of her friend. If only that were the case.

*****************************************************************

_Child. Wake up. It is time to leave._

His eyes fluttered as he began to wake up.

_Child. You need to leave. Now._

He instantly sat up, then winced as his wounds stung. That voice. It was so familiar.

_Hitsugaya Toushiro. You need to leave. They are near._

Why couldn't he remember whose voice that was?! It didn't matter. He believed the voice. He got up, wincing slightly, and started walking, as he had before he had stopped to rest. He didn't even no where he was going. Just away from _them. _

_You're going home, child._

Home? Where was that? He felt frustrated as he could not remember what he knew he already knew.

_You will soon find out._

*****************************************************************

"Captain!"

"What is it, Abarai?" Byakuya looked up at his lieutenant. He sounded shocked and excited, which he hadn't been since Aizen's betrayal. His lieutenant was not as devastated by his former captain's betrayal as others had, but he had grown more serious and that, Byakuya found, was not what he had wanted.

"Abarai!"

"Um. Captain, I think its, its _snowing_!"

**Did you like it? Huh? Tell me! Or the green button! Eithers fine with me!**


	3. Hyourinmaru? Memories

**Howdy, amigos! (country and Hawaiian combinedJ)**

**Sorry if this is 2 short for some of you, but I'm not really that great with long chapters cuz I get bored easily.**

**Still enjoy tho!**

"_Captain Unohana. Do you think…" Isane asked quietly_

"_I would hope so. Yes indeed." Unohana closed her eyes. It had been a terrible lost when Aizen captured the young captain, and she knew it would bring great joy to many if he were to come back. But, it wouldn't be wise to jump to conclusions, as she knew many would be at this point. _

Isane stared out the window. The practice fields were now covered in a thin layer of soft snow. _If, if it were Captain Hitsugaya, just exactly what state would he be in?_ Isane did not know the imprisoned captain very well, but she knew he was strong, and though he may be very frightening at times, Isane knew he was good at heart, and cared for those around him. She also knew that his reitsu control was extremely well for his age. Whatever state he was in, it would not be good if it were snowing this much. Already, the once thin layer was thickening.

"Isane." the lieutenant turned her attention back to her captain. "Stay calm. If he was able to make it back to Soul society, he will be alright. Isane nodded, and hoped that her captain was right.

*****************************************************************

Things were much clearer now. The presence of the huge village seemed to help his mind become clear. The voice had disappeared by now, but it still rang through his ears, as if it was encouraging him to keep on walking. Really, all he wanted right now was to sit down and rest, but something told him to not. He had to reach that gate. It was, at least according to the voice,…home.

As he made his way closer to the large gates, a sudden pain rang through his head. "Ahh!" he cried as he kneeled down on the ground, clutching his head tightly, trying to get rid of the pain. _Hitsugaya Toushiro. _That was his name. _Captain_. He was a captain? _Hyourinmaru_. Hyourinmaru, his…zanpaktou. That's right. It was coming back. His memories.

"Hyourinmaru…"

_Child. I am glad you remember. But you must keep walking._

It was partly exciting, to be able to remember again. But it was also confusing and painful.

_Child. You need to stay awake. _

"Hyourinmaru…help"

_Child. I can not help you, but you can. You must stay awake._

He let out a moan, and collapsed on the ground.

*****************************************************************

"Attention all captains. There is an emergency meeting for all captains to attend immediately. I repeat. An emergency meeting for all captains."

The captains did not need to be told. They knew what the Captain Commander was thinking. They would order each of their squads to go on a look out for the captain of the tenth division. They all knew very well that any clue was worth notifying, because however each of them acted, the young captain had no doubt been missed. And even after five years, he had not been forgotten, and all of them hoped that the surprising weather was a sign that Hitsugaya Toushirou was close by.

**All right! So I decided not to make Toushirou have memory lost cuz everyone does that. He's not gonna remember some stuff tho, like how he escaped. Oh yeah, and don't worry Aizen's not dead, and lets just say he'll be making a debut in this fic. Not until Toushirou gets comfy, tho. Cuz we luv our shiro chan, right?**


	4. All that Matters

**Sorry it took longer this time. I've got no excuse, only the lack of inspiration.**

**Anyway, hope u like the chp! **

Oh my god. It was him. Really, really, him. It wasn't a dream, or a hallucination. It was my captain. My short, ill tempered captain. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I stared at the unconscious body lying on the ground. He looked so…so fragile. What did that bastard do to him?

Rangiku busted into tears as she bent down beside her captain.

"Vice Captain Matsumoto?" the third seat asked, waiting for orders.

"Get Captain Unohana. Tell her he's in critical condition and needs attention immediately. Go!" The third seat nodded.

It was alright. He was alive, that was what mattered. It would take a while for him to adjust, but he would be okay. At least, Rangiku hoped so, anyway.

* * *

"Did you hear the news?! Captain Hitsugaya's back!"

"No way!"

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?!"

All over the Sereitei, the news that Captain Hitsugaya had been found alive was spreading. Hitsugaya Toushirou was breathing, and that, itself, was a miracle.

* * *

"How's he doing, Captain?"

Unohana sighed. It was a shock to see the once fierce shinigami in such a condition. Scars and bruises covered every inch of his body. He had a few broken bones, and it seemed to her that the boy had been dehydrated for a long time now. The good news was that he would live. All of his critical conditions had been attended to. The bad news? Well, lets just say that even the very experienced captain of the fourth division did not know if he could ever heal completely again. Plus she had no idea what his mental state was in. Still, the fact that Captain Hitsugaya was alive and here was quite amazing. Unohana glanced at her patient, now lying in bed.

"Captain?"

"He'll… he'll live."

And wasn't that all that mattered?

**Well, the green button and I are very grateful that you've read this far, which means u like us, right? So press the green button. No, the other one! That's right! Go ahead! It's very welcoming, and friendly too!**


	5. Eventually

_**Aloha everybody that's reading this. Today, we are interviewing our favorite captain in the whole wide world, our Shiro Chan!!! **_

_**Me: hi shiro chan, how have you been lately?**_

_**Shiro:**_

_**Me: hmm. It's not nice to ignore, you know!**_

_**Shiro: **_

_**Me: hmph** _

_**Rangiku: Um. He's in a coma, cat.**_

_**Me: WHAT?! WHY?! WHO DARES TO HURT MY SHIRO?!**_

_**Rangiku: Um. You.**_

_**Me: oh. Okay then. never mind. ENJOY THE CHP. GUYS!**_

"_Oh Captain! It's time to play again!" the man's mouth gave a devious wide smile. "Come' on Captain, you don't want __**me **__to get you up, do you? Not that __**I'd**__ mine." cruel shameless laughter slipped off the man's lips._

_With much effort, he was able to sit up, all to be smacked back down harshly by the former captain of the third division. Then dragged back up again. "My, my. Our little Toushirou's already given up? What happened to all that energy? Hmm. I must say I'm disappointed. I was much hoping to break you myself! Guess Aizen-sama beat me there." Gin smirked as the captive stayed silent. A month ago, the boy would have talked back. He's learning, Gin thought. Not as much fun, but still satisfying._

"_Come on, captain, Aizen-sama's going to get impatient!" _

_Whimpering, the boy was dragged forcefully into the darkness, once again._

_***************************************************************_

"Captain Unohana? Is he… is he having a nightmare?" the red head vice captain asked with hesitation, almost unwilling to break the unfitting silence of the fourth division's quiet, scampering healers busily working.

"I would believe he's having more of a flashback than a nightmare." the older shinigami replied sadly. Yes, it was quite clear that the white haired captain was being forced to relive every tortured moment of those five years when had been taking captive. He was almost shaking with pain. But there was nothing anyone could do, except to sit loyally by his side, and pray that he would be okay.

"When… when will he wake up?"

"I'm sorry, but I must admit that I don't know. He will wake up when he is ready. Until then, all we can do is wait." the captain stood up, and left the room. Rangiku smiled a thank you, and turned her attention back to her captain.

"I know you're probably really tired. I mean, it has been five years. But you really should wake up now, captain. There's a huge stack of paperwork waiting for you to fill out, you know." Nothing. Not even a twitch. At least his flashback seemed to have stopped. He was no longer shaking, but still unbearably cold.

Rangiku tried again. " How about this? I'll do that stack of paperwork for you, if you wake up." She probably wouldn't do it in the end, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Rangiku sighed. She was starting to feel pathetic, talking out loud like this. But she was sure her captain could hear her. He just needed time. He would wake up, eventually.

**So, you like? Let me know! I swear I won't tell the green button!**


	6. Waiting

**Enjoy my Hitsugaya lovers!**

"Rangiku! Wake up!"

"W-What? What are you guys doing in my bedroom?"

"Rangiku-Chan, hurry! It's Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Hmm…" Rangiku muttered, still half asleep. _Captain?_ She shot right up. "What? What's going on? And what the hell are you guys doing in my bedroom?" she repeated.

"For one, this is not your bedroom. It's the tenth division's office. Secondly, you need to get up. Now. Captain Unohana said there was a change in Captain Hitsugaya's condition. She needs to see you." Renji told her, catching his breathe. He was clearly alert. Rangiku saw this. Beside him was Izuru, looking worried. Whatever it was, it was critical. She nodded to them, got off the couch, and ran as fast as she could to the fourth division.

_Is it my imagination, or is it getting colder? _Rangiku looked around. Frost covered the walls, and the air seemed unusually chilly. This was not good. Not at all. She bit her lip. _Captain, please be okay. _The vice captain pleaded silently.

*****************************************************************

"We need more medics!"

"What do we do?

"Find somebody, quick!"

Rangiku found the fourth division scrambling around the moment she entered. It was chaos. The floors were covered in a thin layer of ice, and people seemed to be rushing in and out. "What's going on?"

A young girl turned around. "Are you vice captain Matsumoto? It's captain Hitsugaya! His condition is very unstable. Captain Unohana is with him right now. She asked for you to wait outside her office."

Rangiku nodded. That was all she could do. She had to wait.

*****************************************************************

The medics looked toward their captain. The patient's condition was finally stable and his spiritual pressure had dropped.

Unohana nodded. "He's stable." The sudden change in his condition was very unexpected. His spiritual pressure had gone to almost nothing, then to an extreme, and then, finally, back to normal. She could only hope it would stay that way. But for now, he was stable, and they would wait.

"Captain, Vice Captain Matsumoto is outside your office."

Unohana nodded a thank you to the fifth seat.

"Isane, please keep an eye on Captain Hitsugaya for the time being. Alert me at any changes of his spiritual pressure."

"Of course, captain."

**Not much of a cliffhanger this time, sadly.**

**Ooh, and I wanted to thank everyone that reviewed. You guys are realy really awesome. Especially thos who are giving me critisism. Not that I don't like u guys telling me how awesome this is (JK), but critisism is really good 2.**

**Anyway, REVIEW AND CRITIZE (or just the first part. Don't care THAT much)**


	7. Alone

**Hi guys! This is the SEVENTH chp!!!! Hurray! Hope u guys enjoy the kinda longer chp!**

"Captain Unohana. Is Captain okay? Is he stable? Will he be alright?" Rangiku slurred as she followed the fourth division's captain into the older woman's office. Truth was, she didn't especially _like_ being in the fourth division grounds. She had been here more times than she wanted to.

Rangiku sighed as the memories came back. There was the time Renji had been injured with his fight with Captain Kuchiki. And the time he and Ichigo and Rukia had been fighting Aizen. Then there was when Hinamori had been unstable after Aizen betrayed them. And the time Izuru went cock wire after Gin's leave. Not to mention all the times her own captain had to stay here. This was all Aizen's fault. And to think that all these people use to respect him! Believe in him! All of it made her sick. She had been mad at Aizen before, but now that she thought about it, she was furious!

"Captain Hitsugaya…" Unohana paused as Rangiku looked back up and directly into the captain's eyes. "Captain Hitsugaya is stable. In my opinion, I think he is doing rather well. I… I cannot say for certain, but I… I truly believe your captain will be alright." Rangiku smiled. Captain Unohana continued, " It was a rather sudden change, in fact. Just yesterday, there was absolutely no sign in any change in his condition. But after the sudden fatal moment, something extraordinary happened. A miracle, you could say. We can only hope that his recovery, this miracle, will continue."

Rangiku nodded happily. She knew it. Her captain was strong. He had endured worst. He would wake up, heal, and recover. She was sure of it. All she had to do was believe in him.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Room 12 patient's condition is unstable. Repeat. Room 12 patient's condition is unstable._

Suddenly, all the medics seemed to start scrambling around again. She turned around to see captain Unohana and her vice captain rush out of the office.

Huh? What the hell was going on? Room 12? ….oh my god. Captain.

*****************************************************************

"cjaptsik! Wjksljfhltkj lksjdkfllkfsjkfl!"

"wakdklkej upsed"

"djhwjkhj siuhek"

_Huh? _What? What's going on? Where… where was he? Those… voices…they seemed close, …familiar.

"Captain? Captain, wake up!"

"Vice captain Matsumoto! Please stay outside! Captain Unohana is working."

_Matsumoto? Who was that? _She…. looked so familiar. His… vice captain! From the tenth division! He was… captain! That was it! Memories and flash backs clouded his mind. The painful ones at first, then the… other ones. He seemed… almost happy. A blur of orange seemed to come closer. It seemed familiar. Very familiar.

Another blurry figure appeared.

"Shiro! Captain Unohana! Is he alright? What's happening?"

_Shiro?_ It somehow sounded… friendly. But… kind of… annoying? It was so strange, how everything seemed to pass him. Those faces. Those voices. Hinamori! That was the girl's name. And the orange blur was forming into the shape of a woman. It was… Matsumoto. Why was all this coming back to him? And just where was he?

A sudden red fogged his mind. "Argh…" he stuttered in pain as recent memories pushed the other ones away. The scars were burning again. The searing pain raced through his entire body as he let out an agonizing moan.

Stop. Please stop. He was so tired of this. Tired of all this pain. Tired of it all.

Hyourinmaru. Where was he? He had stopped the pain back then? The dragon was what had kept him going for all five years. The one who urged him to escape when he saw an opportunity. So where was he now?

Hyourinmaru! …nothing. There was no one to help him. Not anymore. He was alone. All alone. Hyourinmaru had left. His zanpakto had left him to the world. He was completely and utterly alone.

Hitsugaya Toushiro closed his eyes in defeat as the darkness took over.

**Do I really need to remind u? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Don't forget, the number of reviews will affect the time I take to update!!! Reviews r luved, but critism is worshipped! (yes I worship ur critism)**


	8. Words of Mockery and Words of Comfort

**Hi everybody! Sorry for the wait! Hope u guys like the Eight ChapterJJ**

**O yeah, and I wanted to thank all the ppl who've been reviewing. Gold stars for everyone! And especially for those who've been reviewing the whole time from the start! That goes to kbookworm3, JoaNymAr12, Nigtalea. Plus everyone that's been reading this. I luv u guysJ**

"Hey Rangiku San! Wake up! I think Shiro Chan's waking up!"

Wuh? What? "… Hinamori? What?! Captain!" Rangiku fluttered her heavy eyelids as she woke to Hinamori's voice. "Is captain okay? What happened?" Hinamori had sounded excited. What was going on?

"Rangiku San. Stay here with Shiro Chan. I'm getting Captain Unohana!" with that, the younger vice captain rushed out of the room.

Rangiku took in her surroundings. Her captain's room. Right. She and Hinamori had decided to stayed for the night. The shinigami sighed. It had been two months since her captain had shown any sign of waking up. He was in the state where he was constantly slipping in and out of a deadly coma, but not ever fully waking to consciousness. But wait? Why had Hinamori rushed out to get captain Unohana?!

Rangiku looked towards her captain's bed. Her captain was lying there, as usual, but… his eyes! He was waking up!

"Captain? Can you hear me? Wake up captain!"

The vice captain's eyes grew wider as her captain seemed to be responding. His eyelids were raised a bit higher as he seemed to be struggling.

Tears brew at the rim of her eyes. "captain. I know you're strong. Fight this. I know you can." Rangiku whispered.

****************************************************************

_God. Why was it so noisy? _That was perhaps his first thought. Then came all the rest. _Where the hell am I? and, what happened?_

A moan escaped his lips as he tried to open his eyes. What was going on?

_Child. You've finally awaken. Do you remember what has happened?_

Yes. Yes I do, for once. Memories flooded his mind. Memories of escaping. Memories of returning back to his home. Memories of lots of people who were constantly talking to him, though he had not responded. He remembered waking up once or twice to the sound of people. _Matsumoto. _That's right. His vice captain had been there. Momo too. Painful images lingered at the back of his mind, but he forced them deeper, not wanting to fall unconscious again.

"Captain? Are you okay?"

That was an ironic question. His eyesight being a bit blurred, he caught the image of a tall women with orange flowing hair kneeling closer to him. No doubt was that person his vice captain.

Toushirou focused in a bit more. This was giving him a headache, but he needed to know. He needed to be reminded that he was safe. Away from _them_.

Next to his vice captain was Momo. She was obviously trying to not cry. That was even more ironic. Why was she crying? He tried to ask her why, and tell her that it was okay, but it came out slurred.

Across from him, now that he focused some more, was an elderly women. Captain Unohana. She was telling the other two something, but he wasn't sure what exactly, but soon the two left, but not before talking nonstop for what seemed like forever. Again it was ironic, how for all the years he had been held captive, words seemed like nothing. They were only used to taunt and mock him. He had probably wished they weren't there at all. But now here he was, listening to his childhood friend and vice captain talk, and the words, though not very clear, seemed so comforting. If not for his killer headache, he wouldn't have minded for this to continue. It was… nice, to know he had people who cared for him. Who wanted to be around him. The last words that he could make out were, "Get well soon, Shiro Chan", that had no doubt been from Momo. It was the hardest to hear, as she had whispered it as she left the room, but it was the most clear. Toushirou almost smiled at the familiar nickname. He would remember to yell at her for it when he could talk. That was for sure.

**You guys like the detail? Hope it helps the story****J**

**O yeah, and as some of u might no, schools starting soon, so I don't know when I'll be updating again. I definitely refuse to abandon this story tho. Hope u liked it, and if u didn't, REVIEW!!!!!**


	9. Author's NoteI am NOT abandoning!

**Okay, so its been forever since I've updated, but I need to say some stuff.**

**1) You all know its school time, so most of you can probably guess why it's taken me so long to update. For those of you who think I've abandoned this story, well, no, I haven't. I'll update maybe around next week, so don't forget to check!**

**2) I know I said earlier that I'd include Aizen into the story, but now that I think of it, I'm not sure it'll fit the storyline. I think it would be best if Aizen stayed out, don't you?**

**3) This story is getting kind of long and dragging, isn't it? So I've decided to end the story sooner. Maybe about 2 chps on how Toushirou recovers emotionally.**

**4) especially to ****.Syrup****: Okay, so a couple weeks back, you said the characters were a bit too occ, and that I skipped out some parts. Well, I agree. It could have been a whole lot better. However, dued to time and my lack of patience, I'm going to have to ask all my wonderful readers to bare with all the errors or mistakes I've made. I don't have the time or patience to rewrite my chapters, but I hope you guys like the story anyway!**

**I know we all hate author notes, so… sorry! I swear I'll make it up to you guys. Luv yal!**


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